Disorders due to physical agents

When working in a hot environment, humans maintain normal body temperature by perspiring and by increasing the blood flow to the surface of the body. The large amounts of water and salt lost in perspiration then need to be replaced. In the past, miners who perspired profusely and drank water to relieve their thirst experienced intense muscular pain—a condition known as miner’s cramps—as a result of restoring their water but not their salt balance. When salt in the requisite amount was added to their drinks, workers no longer developed miner’s cramps. Heat exhaustion is characterized by thirst, fatigue, giddiness, and often muscle cramps; fainting can also occur. Heatstroke, a more serious and sometimes lethal condition, results when prolonged exposure to heat and high humidity prevents efficient perspiration (by preventing evaporation of sweat), causing the body temperature to rise above 106° F (41° C) and the skin to feel hot and dry. If victims are not quickly cooled down, coma, convulsions, and death can follow. To prevent heat exhaustion or heatstroke, workers unaccustomed to high temperatures should allow adequate time (ranging from days to weeks) for their bodies to become acclimatized before performing strenuous physical tasks.

Work in cold environments may also have serious adverse effects. Tissue damage that does not involve freezing can cause inflammatory swelling known as chilblains. Frostbite, or the freezing of tissue, can lead to gangrene and the loss of fingers or toes. If exposure is prolonged and conditions (such as wet or tight clothing) encourage heat loss, hypothermia, a critical fall in body temperature, may result. When body temperature falls below 95° F (35° C), physiological processes are slowed, consciousness is impaired, and coma, cardiorespiratory failure, and death may ensue. Workers exposed to extreme cold require carefully designed protective clothing to minimize heat loss, even though a degree of acclimatization occurs with time.

Atmospheric pressure

Decompression sickness (caisson disease) can result from exposure to high or low atmospheric pressure. Under increased atmospheric pressure (such as that experienced by deep-sea divers or tunnel workers), fat-soluble nitrogen gas dissolves in the body fluids and tissues. During decompression the gas comes out of solution and, if decompression is rapid, forms bubbles in the tissues. These bubbles cause pains in the limbs (known as the bends), breathlessness, angina, headache, dizziness, collapse, coma, and in some cases death. Similarly, the gases in solution in the body tissues under normal atmospheric pressure form bubbles when pressure rapidly decreases, as when aviators in unpressurized aircraft ascend to high altitudes too quickly. Emergency treatment of decompression sickness consists of rapid recompression in a compression chamber with gradual subsequent decompression. The condition can be prevented by allowing sufficient decompression time for the excess nitrogen gas to be expelled naturally.

Exposure to excessive noise can be unpleasant and can impair working efficiency. Temporary or permanent hearing loss may also occur, depending on the loudness or intensity of the noise, its pitch or frequency, the length and pattern of exposure, and the vulnerability of the individual. Prolonged exposure to sound energy of intensity above 80 to 90 decibels is likely to result in noise-induced hearing loss, developing first for high frequencies and progressing downward. The condition can be prevented by enclosing noisy machinery and by providing effective ear protection. Routine audiometry gives an indication of the effectiveness of preventive measures.

Vibration

Whole-body vibration is experienced in surface and air transport, with motion sickness its most familiar effect. A more serious disorder, known as Raynaud’s syndrome or vibration white finger (VWF), can result from the extensive use of vibratory hand tools, especially in cold weather. The condition is seen most frequently among workers who handle chain saws, grinders, pneumatic drills, hammers, and chisels. Forestry workers in cold climates are particularly at risk. Initial signs of VWF are tingling and numbness of the fingers, followed by intermittent blanching; redness and pain occur in the recovery stage. In a minority of cases the tissues, bones, and joints affected by the vibration may develop abnormalities; even gangrene may develop. VWF can be prevented by using properly designed tools, avoiding prolonged use of vibrating tools, and keeping the hands warm in cold weather.

Other mechanical stresses

Muscle cramps often afflict workers engaged in heavy manual labour as well as typists, pianists, and others who frequently use rapid, repetitive movements of the hand or forearm. Tenosynovitis, a condition in which the sheath enclosing a tendon to the wrist or to one of the fingers becomes inflamed, causing pain and temporary disability, can also result from prolonged repetitive movement. When the movement involves the rotation of the forearm, the extensor tendon attached to the point of the elbow becomes inflamed, a condition commonly known as tennis elbow.

Ionizing radiation damages or destroys body tissues by breaking down the molecules in the tissues into positively or negatively charged particles called ions. Radiation that is capable of causing ionization may be electromagnetic (X rays and gamma rays) or particulate (radiation of electrons, protons, neutrons, alpha particles, and other subatomic particles) and has many uses in industry, medicine, and scientific research.

Ionizing radiation injury is in general dose-dependent. Whole-body exposure to doses in excess of 1,000 rads results in acute radiation syndrome and is usually fatal. Doses in excess of 3,000 rads produce cerebral edema (brain swelling) within a matter of minutes, and death within days. Lesser doses cause acute gastrointestinal symptoms, such as severe vomiting and diarrhea, followed by a week or so of apparent well-being before the development of the third toxic phase, which is characterized by fever, further gastrointestinal symptoms, ulceration of the mouth and throat, hemorrhages, and hair loss. There is an immediate drop in the white-cell elements of the blood, affecting the lymphocytes first and then the granulocytes and platelets, with a slower decline in the red cells. If death does not occur, these symptoms may last for many months before slow recovery begins.

Delayed effects of exposure to radiation include the development of leukemia and other cancers. Examples include the skin cancers that killed many of the pioneering scientists who worked with X rays and radioactive elements; the lung cancer common among miners of radioactive ores; and the bone cancer and aplastic anemia that women who painted clock dials with a luminous mixture containing radium and mesothorium developed as a result of ingesting small amounts of paint when they licked their paintbrushes to form a point.

Nonionizing radiation

Nonionizing forms of radiation include electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency, infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet ranges. Exposure to radiation in the radio frequency range occurs in the telecommunications industry and in the use of microwaves. Microwaves produce localized heating of tissues that may be intense and dangerous. Various other disorders, mainly of a subjective nature, have been reported in workers exposed to this frequency range. Infrared radiation can be felt as heat and is commonly used in industry in drying or baking processes. Prolonged exposure to the radiation can result in severe damage to the skin and especially to the lens of the eye, where cataracts may be produced. Working under poor lighting conditions can adversely affect worker efficiency and well-being and may even cause temporary physical disorders, such as headache or dizziness. Proper lighting should provide adequate, uniform illumination and appropriate contrast and colour, without any flickering or glare. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun or such industrial operations as welding or glassblowing causes erythema of the skin (a condition familiarly known as sunburn), skin cancer, and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea. Pigmentation offers natural protection against sunburn, and clothing and glass can also be used as effective shields against ultraviolet radiation. Lasers emit intense infrared, visible, or ultraviolet radiation of a single frequency that is used in surgery, for scientific research, and for cutting, welding, and drilling in industry. Exposure to these beams can burn the skin and cause severe damage to the eye.

Disorders due to infectious agents

A large number of infectious diseases are transmitted to humans by animals. Many such diseases have been largely eliminated, but some still pose hazards. Anthrax, for example, can be acquired by workers handling the unsterilized hair, hide, and bone of infected animals; and slaughterhouse workers, farmers, veterinarians, and others in contact with infected animals, milk, and milk products still frequently contract brucellosis.

Contact with contaminated water is another common method of acquiring infectious diseases. Many workers are infected by organisms that thrive in the puddles or stagnant water found in sewers, canals, paddies, slaughterhouses, irrigation projects, and mines.

Laboratory workers, nurses, surgeons, and other health care workers may contract infectious diseases such as tuberculosis in the course of their work. To help prevent infection, these workers should wear appropriate protective clothing and exercise care when handling contaminated needles or other equipment. Contaminated material should be appropriately bagged, labeled, and disposed.

Disorders due to psychological factors

Psychological factors are important determinants of worker health, well-being, and productivity. Studies have shown the benefits to workers who feel satisfied and stimulated by their jobs, who maintain good relationships with their employers or supervisors and with other employees, and who do not feel overworked. Such workers have lower rates of absenteeism and job turnover and higher rates of output than average.

The two psychological hazards commonly encountered at work are boredom and mental stress. Workers who perform simple, repetitious tasks for prolonged periods are subject to boredom, as are people who work in bland, colourless environments. Boredom can cause frustration, unhappiness, inattentiveness, and other detriments to mental well-being. More practically, boredom decreases worker output and increases the chances of error and accident. Providing refreshment and relaxation breaks or other outside stimulus can help relieve boredom.

Mental stress often results from overwork, although nonoccupational factors, such as personal relationships, life-style, and state of physical health, can play a major role. Job dissatisfaction, increased responsibility, disinterest, competition, feelings of inadequacy, and bad working relationships can also contribute to mental stress. Stress affects both mental and physical health, causing anger, irritation, fatigue, aches, nausea, ulcers, migraine, asthma, colitis, or even breakdown and coronary heart disease. Moderate exercise, meditation, relaxation, and therapy can help workers to cope with stress.

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